The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1887-06-04
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

made in India, Mr.. Allan Cunningham,
resident Of that country for twenty
three years, asserts that there are very
few persons among midas $50, 900. 900
inhabitants who possess . well developed
sense of color. The eyesight of the IN
educated people is. in fact, poor in every
way, and they find it difficult to thread
needle. or even to distinguish between
the top and bottom Of picture. The
inability to make out the objects in .
picture is the most surprising defect. a
certain picture educstion" seeming 10 be
necessary to develop . 'picture-sense.'
National pride finds many unequaled
beauties in America, but it is little
curious that its forests should display
much more vivid colors in their autumn
foliage than the same trees exhibit in
European countries having similar eli
mate. Yet reliable observation assures
us that such ia the case. One Of Bier
stadt's gorgeous views Of Rocky Noun
tain scenery is said TO have been actually
rejected by the Paris Salon on the ground
that such tints were impossible in nature.
the picture being accepted only when the
American Consul certified to the correct
ness Of the coloring.
The investigations Of Mons. Balland
indicate that -four becomes unwholesome
after long keeping in sacks, alkaloids
being formed in consequence Of the acid.
ity Of the old -four during the transfer
nation of gluten under the influence Of
the natural ferment of wheat. Traces
Of the alkaloids are found in -four year
or year and half old, but are more
marked in that which has been ground
two or three years.
Measurements OF the heights Of clouds
have been made at the Upsala 0bserva-
tory during the past summer. The re-
suits are approximately As follows;
Stratus, 1900; nimbus. or rain cloud,
from 1900 to 1900 feet; comulus, from
1900 to $4,000 feet; cirrus. %, 400 feet.
Cloud measurements are always some
what difficult and uncertain, but these
figures are considered fairly exact.
Old philosophical treatises gave pc
rosity as one Of the general properties Of
matter, and the experiment Of forcing
water through gold has been often re-
peated since 1861. The pores have been
proven, however, to be defects of cast
ing. Hammering destroys the porosity
Of the gold and glass has been recently
shown to be impermeable to gases under
pressure Of l26 atmospheric.
A strong decoction Of the roots and
leaf butts Of the New Zealand fax
has been used by Surgeon Major Monck-
ton as dressing for wounds, and he as
ssrts that nothing is equal to it for pro-
ducing healthy healing. In the climate
Of India the decoction quickly ferments,
but is preserved for use by the addition
Of little carbolic acid and glycerine.
The union Of the rivers volga and
Don was thought Of by Peter the Great
and it is now proposed to construct the
canal. The rivers are fifty miles apart
and the distance is gradually lessening
through the washing away Of the vest
ern bank Of the Volga.
Free oxygen has been found by Mr..
w. Ditmar in specimens Of water from
all parts of the ocean, and he is thus led
to conclude that absolute staguation does
not exist in any part Of The sea. not even
at the greatest depths.
Mr.. Thomay Meehan has found reasons
for believing that when raw and in the
spring the common garden parsnip is
acrid and in some cases poisonous. Cook
ing, Of course, renders it harmless.
A new slkaloid has been found in
picked cabbage by Mons. Tuyagopu,
who asserts that the substance allays
delirium tremens.
In Turkey the notion prevails that
leprcsy may result from a stroke Of
lightning.